A spin-valve type magneto-resistive effect element or an MR element having a tunnel type MR (TMR) configuration including a tunnel barrier film includes a lamination layer structure portion in which a free layer made of a soft magnetic material the magnetization of which is rotated in response to an external magnetic field, a fixed layer made of a ferromagnetic material, an antiferromagnetic layer for fixing the magnetization of this fixed layer and a nonmagnetic conductive layer or tunnel barrier layer interposed between the free layer and the fixed layer are laminated with each other.
In this configuration, the magneto-resistive effect element having a so-called CIP (Current In Plane) type configuration in which a sense current, i.e., a detection current for detecting the change of resistance flows through the plane direction of the lamination layer structure portion inevitably needs a relatively large width, i.e., a large area in order to obtain a predetermined conducting sectional area by a cross-section in the film thickness direction.
Further, in the case of the CIP configuration, since upper and lower portions are sandwiched by insulating materials, heat radiation property is poor and hence there arises a problem of a reliability such as a risk in which the films will be fused when the magneto-resistive effect element or the magnetic head using magneto-resistive effect is being continuously used during a long period of time.
On the other hand, the magneto-resistive effect element has a so-called CPP (Current Perpendicular to Plane) type configuration in which a sense current flows through the lamination layer direction of the above-mentioned lamination layer structure portion, i.e., in the direction perpendicular to the lamination layer film can decrease its area. In a magnetic head, for example, since its magnetic sensing portion can be made compact in size, the whole of the magneto-resistive effect element can be reduced in size. In accordance therewith, this becomes advantageous in increasing a recording density.
Moreover, since the conducting electrodes are disposed at both surfaces of the lamination layer structure portion, this magneto-resistive effect type element is excellent in heat radiation property, can be operated stably and is highly reliable.
In the GMR effect element having the SVMR configuration or the MR effect element having the TMR configuration, the hard magnetic layer which is magnetized in the predetermined direction is disposed in order to maintain the magnetic stability of the free layer. This hard magnetic layer can cancel a magnetic domain produced at the end portion of the free layer and can suppress a Barkhausen noise due to discontinuity of magnetization rotation by a magnetic domain existing at the end portion of the free layer when an external magnetic field, i.e., a signal magnetic field from a magnetic recording medium is introduced into this free layer.
Since a hard magnetic layer having a high electric conductivity generally is used as this hard magnetic layer, in general, in the CPP type magnetic head, the hard magnetic layer is disposed so as to oppose only the free layer. This free layer is projected to the side of other lamination film having a conductivity comprising the lamination layer structure portion. In this projected portion, the free layer is brought in contact with the hard magnetic layer so that the occurrence of a leakage of a sense current which directly flows through this hard magnetic layer to other lamination layer film having a conductivity bypassing the free layer can be avoided. Thus, it is possible to avoid a magneto-resistive conversion efficiency from being lowered due to this leakage current.
However, as described above, when the width of the free layer is made large, since the width of the free layer is increased, the width of the magneto-resistive effect element cannot be reduced sufficiently and the external magnetic field cannot be concentrated sufficiently. Then, there arises a problem in which an efficiency of a magneto-resistive effect cannot be improved sufficiently.
The present invention is to provide a magnetic head using magneto-resistive effect having fundamentally an SVMR configuration or a TMR configuration and a manufacturing method thereof in which the above-mentioned disadvantages can be removed.